Scaling Blockchain for Public Good: a conference with UNDP

From low-cost digital payments reaching underserved communities to climate finance systems that enable funds to be traced from international commitments all the way to local implementation, blockchain technologies are increasingly demonstrating their potential as decentralized infrastructures for public and social innovation. Yet scaling these solutions in contexts where they are most needed, especially in the Global South, continues to present significant coordination, governance, and institutional challenges.

The PSIA Technology and Global Affairs Innovation Hub, together with the United Nations Development Programme’s AltFinLab, invites you to join this very special conference bringing together leaders from government, development organizations, and the blockchain ecosystem to explore how policymakers, activists, and technologists can use blockchain to drive positive social and environmental impact. The event will provide a space to share experiences from governments and institutions already implementing blockchain-based solutions, while fostering dialogue on how to move beyond pilots and scale blockchain-based services that truly deliver public value.

Session 1: Blockchain Adoption in Practice: Aligning Governments, Industry, and Institutions

This session will be introduced by keynotes from Nadia Filali, Head of Innovation & Development of the Groupe Caisse des Dépôts and Burcu Mavis, Government Blockchain Academy Lead, UNDP AltFinLab, followed by a panel moderated by the Hub's advisor Pierre Noro featuring:

• ​Alex Maaza, Ecosystem & Enterprise Growth Lead, Cardano Foundation
• ​Pierre Samaties, Chief Business Officer, DFINITY Foundation
• ​Maria Papadaki, COO, Dubai Blockchain Centre
• ​Nikhil Vadgama, Co-Founder, Exponential Science Foundation
• ​Xavier Juredieu, CEO, EUROPEUM-EDIC, operator of the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure

Session 2: Delivering Blockchain-Based Financial Tools in Last-Mile Contexts

This panel, moderated by ​Ada Vaughan, Head of DeFi, Stellar Development Foundation, will bring together:

• ​Jorge Fernandes, Head of Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad – WFP
• ​Basel Asaad, Emerging Technologies Expert (Payments, AI & Digital Infrastructure), UNDP HQ
• ​Melyn McKay, CEO, Coala Pay
• ​Alwin Tan Hee Nam, Founder/President of Asia SolanaX Foundation
• ​Freedom Pigott, Founder & CEO, FreedomPay Wallet

We invite you to join us in amphithéâtre Jacques Chapsal, 27 rue Saint-Guillaume to take part in the conversation and meet the panelists and invited experts during the networking breaks.